§ Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what monitoring is undertaken by his Department of the overloading of sewage outlets into the sea, which can be sanctioned currently by regional water authorities seeking to avoid the rigours of the Control of Pollution Act as applied to new sewage works.
§ Mr. Denis HowellMonitoring of water and effluent standards is carried out by regional water authorities; details of the results will be included in the public registers required under Part II of the Control of Pollution Act 1974. Consents under existing legislation do not provide a means to avoid the controls of Part II of the Act; dischargers can operate legally only within the terms of consents, whether given under existing legislation or under Part II. I shall write to the hon. Member with more detailed information about the Southern Water Authority's proposals to improve the situation at the Pennington outfall, which I think he may have in mind particularly.